Mea Culpa, Same Sides of a Different Coin
by Apache's Whiskey
Summary: Two girls. Katsura Jun, a quirky girl with an obsession for martial arts and Izumi Koharu, a paraplegic girl and avid VRMMO gamer . They both get trapped in the deathgame, but whilst Jun's world comes crashing down on her, Koharu thrives on her imposed destiny. The coin spins relentlessly, but when it stops, only one side will be facing upwards. Discl. SAO belongs to Reki Kawahara


_**Mea Culpa, Same Sides Of A Different Coin**_

 **Author's note:**

 **Hey there guys! I'm Apache's Whiskey. This is the first fanfic (or anything bigger than 300 words) that i write and english isn't my native language, sooo yeah... please go easy on me :). Constructive criticism is highly appreciated and a very welcome sight. Oh yeah! before i forget it. I wanted to quickly explain something that i wanted to put into the description, but alas, the word limit didn't allow me to. As you have probably read, the story centers around two girls, Katsura Jun and Izumi Koharu. I have decided that, instead of switching POV's in every chapter, i would give each girl their own respective Story and title. Jun's is called The Burden Of The Roses. And Koharu's Standing At The Crossroads. They will be published alongside eachother and will merge at some point in the story. Also this story will be a slow-paced one, the focus lying more on the interactions and thoughts of each character which doesn't mean however there won't be any action ;) I hope you enjoy the story! Also thanks to TeoTangerine for proofreading! Check out her DeviantArt profile :  
**

 **Burden Of The Roses**

Prologue: Carefree Days

"This isn't good" thought the girl as she watched her opponent. When the fight had begun it seemed all was in her favor, as she had scored the first point with a superb hane goshi. She was amazed at how easily she was able to lift the sumo onto her hip and throw him on his back. After that however he had nearly pushed her out of the ring. Jun wiped her sweaty forehead and pushed the bangs that stuck to it aside. The two combatants were circling around the ring never letting the other out of sight, watching every move, searching for an opening.

"Clearly you are a coward!" the brute barked at Jun. "You have no chance of beating the great Raiden Tam'emon"

"Heh" she scoffed at him. "Talk is for the weak! Stop yapping and come at me!"

They were both exhausted from the intensity of the fight, the labored breaths betraying their condition. Jun desperately searched for an opening in raiden's defense but found none. She could attempt a feint to break through. A very risky move but it could bring her victory.

Her train of thought was ripped apart when suddenly the sumo charged at her. Mere millimeters were between her and his huge arms as she ducked under his grab. _Perfect!_ she whispered to herself. Grabbing the ringer's belt and using his momentum, Jun lifted him up and over her head. Raiden was too stunned to process what was happening where she held him up with both of her hands.

The crowd was going wild. Looking around the arena Jun saw her parents, friends, club members all cheering for her. Even Amane had come out of her lair to watch. Everybody was screaming her name : "JUN! JUN!"

In that moment all of her stamina came back as she was filled with exhilaration. She mustered all of her strength and prepared to slam the massive fighter onto the ground, when she heard her surname being called.

"Katsura" The voice sounded slightly annoyed and a bit familiar though she couldn't exactly pinpoint the identity of it's owner. "Katsura". _There it was again!_ It was faint against the cheer of the crowd but definitely audible. Jun looked around in confusion, seemingly forgetting the 169 kilograms she was lifting into the air. Suddenly all went silent and she looked up at Raiden.

A startled gasp escaped her when instead of Raiden she saw Yuzuki-sensei staring back at her, his oily toupee crooked on his bald head.

"What the..." She couldn't complete her sentence as a sharp pain ran through the back of her head.

Her head shot up from her desk and Jun cried out in pain "Ow!". As she rubbed her eyes Yuzuki-sensei who was standing before her, rolled up worksheets in hand, came into focus along with her classroom.

"Are my lessons that boring Katsura?" he asked blankly and rapped the papers against the palm of his hand.

"No, of course not Sensei. I apologize." Jun gave a bow and apologized.

"See to it that it doesn't happen again." He demanded and turned back to the black board to continue the lecture.

"Now, moving on: Mea Culpa. The phrase comes from a prayer of confession of sinfulness, known as the Confiteor, used in the Roman Rite at the beginning of Mass or when receiving the sacrament of Penance. Mea Culpa means "through my fault" and is an acknowledgment of having done wrong. Grammatically..."

Jun sighed as her teacher droned on with his lecture of Western history and Religion, and did what she would always do when lessons bored her. She would daydream about imaginary fights and try to invent new take-down moves.

The remaining of the class passed quickly as she let her imagination wander and alas,the bell rang signaling the end of Yuzuki's lecture. Jun stretched and shot up from her seat. Next period was her favorite: PE.

"Jun-chan. Did you stay up all night again?" Her friend Yuri walked over to her desk.

"Oh hey Boyka-chan. Yeah, the world champion-ship finals in boxing were on. And since it was being streamed from America I had to stay up late. Ehehe" Embarrassed, Jun rubbed the back of her head.

"Jeez, how many times have I told you not to call me that?" Her friend pouted. "Anyway, we have P.E. Now. Let's go to the locker-room."

"Yeah!" Jun eagerly exclaimed.

"Maaan. Yuzuki just had to interrupt my dream. It was getting so good" Jun slammed the locker shut and sat down on a bench to tie her shoes.

"What was the dream about? You had a pretty intense expression when you were sleeping."

"Oh it was amazing!"

Jun proceeded to analyze every single move she and Raiden had made. By the time they arrived on the track field, Yuri's head was buzzing.

"...and then we were locked in this stalemate, nobody made a move." Jun stopped where she stood and struck a dramatic combat stance. "We were just staring at each other, walking in circles around the ring. And then he jus-"

"Oh hey Nagisa!" Yuri called out to a boy, perhaps to break Jun out of her trance. The boy turned around and approached them.

"Hey guys." he waved his hand. "Jun, you have to sleep properly or else you'll get scolded again," Nagisa lectured her.

"Pshhaw. You worry too much, Onee-chan knows what she does." Jun flashed him a bright grin and ruffled his hair.

"Stop that" He pushed her hand away from his head. "I'm not a little kid anymore." Nagisa complained whilst fixing his hair

"Yeah yeah." Jun waved her hand dismissively "Anyway, where was I? Ah yes. So, when I was planning my next move Raiden suddenly..."

"Not again..." Yuri slumped over, a lightly chuckling Nagisa patting her shoulder.

"You know how it is, just let her finish her story."

It was lunchtime now and the three had gathered at their usual spot on the rooftop.

"Guys, wanna come over today? Daisuke's coming back and mom wants to celebrate with a huge hot-pot." Yuri addressed her friends whilst opening her bento.

"Sure!" Nagisa answered happily.

"Oh, I'd love to, but in the evening I'll have to go to Amane to bring her a care-package." Jun leaned her head back and looked at the passing clouds.

"Is she still waiting in line for that game?"

"Yup, third day now." Jun sighed as she ripped the packaging of her sandwich open. "How's Daisuke doing anyway?" She turned to Yuri and took a bite out of her lunch.

"Alright I guess, he's being swamped with paperwork ever since he got transferred to Osaka."

"Makes me wonder how we'll deal with work when school is over." Nagisa contemplated.

"Well, we've two and a half years ahead of us. So I don't think we should stress so much about it. Oh by the way, Boyka-chan."

"Hm?" Yuri turned to face her friend, her mouth stuffed with rice, causing Jun to giggle a bit.

"Think I'll ditch Judo club today. Prez called in sick and even before that we were three heads short. Instead I'll go to the gym for Muay Thai training, help out at home, bring Amane her package and then I'll come over for dinner."

"Good. I'll call mom to tell her you're both coming over." Yuri smiled brightly and pulled out her phone.

"I've really missed Daisuke." Nagisa watched Yuri who was walking in circles whilst talking to her mother.

"Yeah me too. I miss the old days where we all played together." Jun said solemnly and took a bite out of her sandwich.

"Think Amane will come over?"

"Nah." She grimaced. "You know how she is."

"I miss Amane."

"Me too." Absentmindedly she traced the length of her scar up and down.

They both fell silent until Yuri came bouncing back.

"Mom said th-" she stopped as she saw the solemn expressions of her friends. "What's the matter?"

"Oh nothing, just reminiscing about old times." Jun forced a smile.

Yuri, noticing her friend's fingers on her scar, decided to change the subject.

"What game is your sister waiting in line for anyway?"

"Sword Art Online. It's all over the media these days. She had played it in august already when it was still in testing phase. She would play over 14 hours a day only taking bathroom breaks and to eat."

"Woah" Both of her friends were stunned.

"Oh yeah now that I remember," Nagisa rubbed his chin. "She didn't even come to the prefectural finals to watch you."

"That's not even the worst of it. After the test phase had ended she acted like the world had ended. And hearing her talk about it?" Jun scoffed and leaned with her elbows on her knees. "Like the second coming of Jesus Christ, as Yuzuki would say." She made a sweeping gesture with her right arm. "She'd go on talking about monsters, swords, skills, guilds and ugh!" Jun shot up from where she was sitting. "I love her so much but at times I just wanted to rip that stupid-looking helm off of her and slap her silly." She pretended to hold someone by their collar and slapped at the air. Both of her childhood friends laughed at Jun's outburst.

"Now now, she'll come around, in time." Yuri attempted to calm her raging friend down.

"Humph. At least thanks to that game she came out of her lair."

"See? That's the first step, the fresh air will clear her head." Nagisa tuned in.

"Dude. The day she came out of her room Mom nearly had a stroke. She looked like an astronaut. She wore dad's rice farming gear, a hooded rain jacket, a scarf covering her whole face, a backback full of supplies and a rolled up tent on her back. After the initial shock subsided Dad and I nearly pissed our pants from laughing."

"That sounds just like her." Nagisa said as both he and Yuri broke out in laughter. "Remember when our ball fell into the Tobiokas' garden?"

"Yeah, Ama-nee and Onii-chan volunteered to retrieve it, she ran back to your house and geared up like a medieval knight." Yuri completed the story.

"Oh I remember the scolding mom gave us for using one of her pots as a helmet."

All three sat there until their laughter subsided. Then the bell rang.

"Well, looks like lunchtime's over." Jun patted down her skirt.

"At least _try_ not to fall asleep again." Nagisa teased.

"Har har. I'll do my best." Jun played along. "For crying out loud Nagisa, you're like my Mom." She grabbed Nagisa and put him in a loose headlock.

"Stop dawdling you two! We really need to get going." Yuri beckoned the pair towards the stairs. Jun let go of the boy, and they both made their way over to Yuri.

After school ended, the trio split up at the front gate. Yuri and Nagisa heading home and Jun going on her way to the dojo. A ten minute walk later she stood in front of the small Thai supermarket. After greeting the old lady that tended the shop, she rounded a corner and walked into an alleyway.

To the entrance of the dojo itself lead down a small flight of stairs, tucked in a niche at the end of said alley. The only indicator of it's existence was a small sign that read Khanomtom Muay Thai Dojo, in stylized writing, that hung solitary above the nondescript iron door. Jun jumped down the stairs, landing softly on the ground before pressing the doorbell. After a moment, the device crackled and a gruff voice answered.

"Yeah?"

"It's me."

"Who's me?" the voice feigned ignorance. Jun rolled her eyes.

"Open the door Matsuda, I'm freezing."

Laughter sounded through the intercom followed by a metallic buzzing, enabling entry to the girl.

"Hey there Champ" The stocky man called Matsuda raised his hand.

"What's up." Jun high-fived him. He chuckled as he looked her over. "What?" She cocked a brow at the man.

"You do realize that doesn't look very girly." He pointed at the gym pants she was wearing under her skirt.

"It beats freezing my ass off. And there's no way in hell I'm wearing leggings, I hate skintight clothing." She took her shoes off and put them on a rack that stood near the entrance. The two then proceeded down the hallway.

"True. Why do they even make you wear skirts in winter? I heard on TV recently that women are prone to acute cystitis if not properly protected from cold."

"Beats me. But what I know is that I'd rather look tomboyish than cursing my luck every time I go to take a piss."

Matsuda laughed heartily. "You'll have to do more than wear skirts to seem girlish with that mouth of yours." he slapped her on the back. "But that's what I like about you."

"You know it." Jun answered as they both arrived at her changing room. "Well, see you in a bit."

"Today's gonna be good. We've fresh meat." He informed her with a sly grin.

"Want me to break in the newbies?" Jun smirked.

"You know it." The man winked at her and walked down the hall, disappearing through a door shortly after.

Jun went inside her changing room, closed and locked the door. Although rather than changing room, it was was a converted broom closet, specially retrofitted with a locker and stool for the only female member of the Khanomtom dojo. She changed, as quickly as the stuffy room allowed her to, into a baggy gray shirt which she tucked inside her gym pants. While bandaging her hands and feet, she drooled over the thought of eating hotpot at Yuri's place.

When she had made sure that the bindings were tight enough, she walked out of the closet into to the dimly lit hallway and towards the main gym, taking care not to stumble over the homeless brooms that were stationed outside their former lodgings. Jun breathed a muted apology to the cleaning tools who seemed to be glaring at her as she walked past them. She hurried through the door Matsuda had gone in and squinted as the bright lights hit her.

The air smelled of sweat, gym chalk and worn leather. She breathed in deeply as her eyes adjusted. She was home.

She saw Master Paowsong lecturing, what she assumed to be, the new members and sat down an a bench, waiting for him to finish. As she did, Jun thought about why she called this place home. It wasn't that she didn't feel comfortable at her house it was just that here, she felt a strange mix of liberation and unhurriedness that she didn't receive at home. _Maybe it's like that for Ama-nee when she's gaming._ She felt a bit guilty having said those things about her sister and her hobbies. But even more so for the fact that she couldn't make her sister feel at home.

Just then Master Paowsong called out to her. She shook her head and pushed those thoughts into the back of her mind, leaving them for a later and more appropriate time. Jun made her way over to her teacher and the new students.

"Shishou." She greeted her teacher whilst bowing low. The master responded with a nod.

"This is Katsura," he gestured towards the girl "She will be in charge of inspecting your ability today." In response some of the boys, who were roughly a few years older than Jun, chuckled. A blonde guy among them asking "Is he for real?" whilst giving the girl a mocking look. She however seemed unfazed by it.

"Like I told you, in this dojo we don't play games." The old man continued, ignoring the comments. "In here you will sweat blood and tears. There won't be a day where you go home after training without your whole body hurting. If you want to leave do so now, don't come crying if you get hurt. You were warned. Anyone who wants to leave, do so now." Paowsong paused and scanned the crowd. Some of the men gulped hard but remained. "Good." He clapped his hands once and turned to Jun.

"Are you ready?"

"Oh sorry Shishou, I need tie my hair up properly." As Jun pulled out a scrunchy from her pocket the newcomers scoffed and gossiped among them. When she had finished tying up her shoulder-length hair, save for her braid which hung loosely on her left shoulder, the master turned to the group.

"Who wants to go first?"

"I'll go." The blonde man moved in front of the others.

"All right, grab some of the protective gear and go into the ring." He turned around and headed for the bench where Matsuda sat. As he passed Jun he whispered to her.

"Give'em hell."

Jun and the blonde man were standing in the ring now. Everybody else in the gym having turned their attention towards them.

"Hey!" he called to Paowsong. "If she isn't wearing the protective gear then I don't need it either." Matsuda suppressed a laugh.

"If you don't want to go the Hospital you'll leave that helm on." The master reprimanded the man.

"Tch. Whatever. I'll go easy on you so you don't have to worry."

The gym regulars who were watching snorted loudly, as did Matsuda. Jun sighed and assumed her battle stance. Annoyed, the blonde guy struck an awkward pose and walked towards her. He threw a right jab at the girl which she easily dodged to the left and using the momentum of her step, torqued her right ankle and roundhouse kicked the man in the head.

Having lost consciousness, he dropped limply to the ground. Everyone broke out into laughter, except for the newcomers who watched on with a mix of horror and amazement as the master climbed into the ring towards the blonde man.

"Was that too much?" Jun hesitantly asked her teacher.

"No it was just perfect." He reassured her with a smile and turned his attention to the man who was now slowly coming back to his senses. When he was able to stand he let him lean on his shoulder and turned back to the group,

"This was your first lesson. Never underestimate an opponent. And the second lesson." He nudged the man leaning on him causing him to look up. "Always be nice to girls." Paowsong gestured Jun over. "Don't you have anything to say to her?"

"S-sorry." The blonde apologized.

"I'm sorry too." She bowed " I overdid it, please forgive me."

In response he shook his head weakly. "No it's alright." After the master helped him off the ring and laid him on a bench. He shouted.

"Why're you stopping? You need to test the others too." The newcomers tensed up and broke out into a cold sweat. Jun then turned to them causing a few to gasp.

"So." she put her hands together behind her back and flashed the most innocent smile. " Who wants to go next?"

"Keep your hands up!" she lectured the boy in front of her. He was the last of the newcomers, who seeing as she wasn't immediately knocking them out, relaxed substantially and were quite eager to spar with Jun. She threw a few light jabs at the boy which he blocked. "That's it keep it up." she encouraged him. "Matsuda! What time is it?"

Matsuda looked up from the papers he was sorting. "17:30."

"Oh crap." Jun ceased her assault on the boy. "Sorry but I've got to run." She bowed slightly to the boy, who returned the gesture, and vaulted over the ropes and out of the ring.

"Help out at home?" Her Master asked her.

"Yup." She put her hands together in front of her face. "Please forgive me."

"Just go already." He laughed.

"Thank you Shishou!" She bowed low and stormed out of the room. When the door slammed shut behind her Matsuda walked over to Paowsong.

"She's a damned firebrand if I've ever seen one." He nudged the old man.

"I don't know if I could run this place if she wasn't around." The old master sighed as he averted his gaze from the closed door.

"True that."

Jun didn't bother putting on her skirt, instead she stuffed it inside her bag. After pulling her sweater and jacket over the shirt she was wearing, she stormed out of the front door only to stop when she realized that it was raining.

"Damn." she cursed under her breath. _Didn't bring my umbrella._ She pulled her jacket over her head and started running, choosing the shortest route home.

She was soaked through when she arrived. Jun slid open the door of the diner and slipped inside.

The warm inside of the Restaurant was a welcome change and her stomach grumbled as the smell of food washed over her. Her father stood behind the counter sauteing some vegetables. As she walked towards the backdoor she received greetings from the regular customers, Jun's replies sounding mute against the backdrop of friendly chatter, sizzling food and clattering tableware. When she reached the counter her father turned around.

"Welcome home." He greeted her ."Aw damn! Well at least you don't need to shower anymore." he laughed.

"Oh shut it." She retorted.

"Yeesh! Someone's pissed off."

"Splendidly fathomed my dear Watson." She mocked and walked towards the back door which lead into their house, leaving behind droplets of water in her wake. Some of the customers laughed at the all too familiar exchange.

"Go and change or you'll catch a cold." He shouted in her direction.

"Got any more useful tips?"

"Yeah, move your ass." He chuckled and tossed up the vegetables in the pan.

Jun stomped with each step as she climbed the stairs to the apartment. The shuffling of small feet sounded from the living the room after she had closed the door behind her.

"Onee-chan welcome home!" Her twin sisters greeted her energetically.

"I'm home. Chiyori, Ayaka." she patted them on the head.

"Onee-chan, what happened?" The younger twin Chiyori pointed at the wet clothing.

"I forgot my umbrella." Jun smiled weakly.

"Chiyori, what are you waiting around for?" The older of the two, Ayaka, asked her sister. "Go get Onee-chan a towel."

"Sir yes sir!" Chiyori gave a clumsy salute and briskly marched off towards the bathroom. Jun snickered as she followed a satisfied Ayaka into the living-room.

"Today we learned our calculation tables." She beamed at her sister and slid under the Kotatsu. "Come on, I 'll show you."

"Onee-chan has a lot of work to do now. Sorry I can't."

"Oh ok."Ayaka downheartedly complied. Jun couldn't bear seeing her like that.

"Tell you what." She crouched to meet Ayaka on eye level. "Boyka-chan told me that today Daisuke-Onii-chan's coming back." The little girl's eyes lit up at that. "And their Mom'll be throwing a huge hot-pot party."

"Really!?"

"Yeah really. There you can show me and everyone else your calculation tables."

"Yaaaay!" Ayaka stood up and bounced happily around the living room. Just then Chiyori arrived and passed Jun a bath-towel.

"What's going on?" She asked her twin.

"Onee-chan just told me..."

Jun smiled at her ecstatic siblings and headed towards her room, where she dried herself off and put on a fresh change of clothes.

"Grab an apron and bring these to table three." Her Father slammed two bowls on the counter and addressed Jun as she emerged from the curtains of the backdoor. "After that take orders from six and then bus table seven."

"Sir yes sir." She imitated Chiyori and brought the bowls to three.

"Oi Ichiro, that your daughter?" One of the old men who sat at that table asked.

"Yup second eldest. Out of four daughters."

"Four?" the other asked in amazement. "Want me to give you the recipe for making

boys?" The old men laughed. "I've got two of them. But they're not nearly as hardworking as your gal here." His cloudy eyes wandered to the porcelain sake cup in his hand. "Good-for-nothing louts." They both proceeded to mutter complaints about their children. Jun put the bowls down in front of the ranting geezers and turned back to her tasks.

Two busy hours passed as Jun weaved through the stools and tables taking orders, refilling drinks and serving hungry patrons their food.

"Jun! It's already 20:10. Amane will starve to death if you don't go soon."

"If I you weren't such a slave driver I'd have already brought her her food. Now I'll be probably late for the party."

"Stop crying princess, the party doesn't start before 21:30. Here" Her father passed Jun a heavy lunchbox.

"I'll take the scooter, OK ?"

"Yeah but be careful."

"I will." She put on a rain jacket and a helmet "I'm off."

"Take care." He waved her goodbye.

Jun stepped out of the restaurant prepared for heavy rainfall. She relaxed however when she noticed that the rain had stopped by now. Only pools of water remained on the asphalt, reflecting the clinically white lantern light into the early darkness of winter. Jun opened the garage where the delivery scooter was standing in and stowed away the bento into the thermos box that was strapped to the back. The old Yamaha Lagenda creaked as she got onto the seat. She put the key into the ignition and turned, simultaneously pushing down the the gear lever with her foot. Nothing. _Come on you piece of..._ She tried once more. Again nothing. _Come ooon, three time's a charm._ Jun turned the key once response the motorcycle chortled and rumbled. _Finally._ She put in first gear and, with the sound of a gunshot erupting from the exhaust pipe, drove off into the night.

Avoiding the main streets Jun drove through the deserted alleys, she didn't cherish the thought of the scooter dying on her whilst she was standing at a traffic light. After about twenty minutes though she had to turn and drive on the main street that lead to the expo center where the sale was being held. As expected there was a lot of traffic at this time, with all the people coming home from work. She sped through every intersection, even passing a traffic light just as it went red. The girl looked around. _Good thing there were no cops around_. Shortly after, she took a right and could see the first signs of the 'encampment' as she called it.

Many a hungry eye looked at the delivery scooter as it zoomed past the tents and crowded sidewalks. Suddenly her motorcycle snarled and began bobbing up and down, slowly losing speed. _God dammit_. Then with a bone rattling death gurgle it finally came to a stop and the girl jumped off.

"Crappy piece of junk!" She kicked at the tire but missed, instead hitting the edge of the exhaust pipe. "Shit." She spat through gritted teeth and clutched her throbbing foot.

Pushing the dead scooter for the rest of the way whilst mumbling curses, Jun searched for Amane's tent. She didn't have to look long however, as the bright purple came into sight a few meters ahead of her.

Parking the scooter in front of the tent Jun noted four pairs of shoes next to Amane's rubber boots. Faint light shone through the thin fabric projecting distorted silhouettes onto the purple canvas. Muffled voices reached her ears accompanied by, what she assumed to be, anime soundtrack. A mischievous spark ran through the girl's mind, the helmet hiding the wolfish smile that spread on her face. She cleared her throat.

"Delivery service." Jun altered her voice into to a gruff baritone as much as she was able to.

"Huh?"

"Did you order something?"

"No. did you?"

The startled people inside argued amongst them. The prankster stifled a laugh.

"Amanecchi, you go." a meek female voice prompted.

"Y-yeah. Ok." Amane hesitantly complied. Shuffling could be heard from inside the tent and shortly after the zipper was pulled down. Amane emerged from within. Only her amber eyes were visible, the rest of her face veiled by a scarf.

"W-w-what is it?" The scarf-face asked shakily.

 _Thank god I'm wearing a helmet_. Jun barely contained her laughter.

"Let's see here..." Jun pulled a small notepad from her pocket. "You order was: ten beef-bowls, thirteen fried curry rice and eight grilled chicken sets."

"U-uhm, I ah-" Fear seeped into Amane's stammering voice. She turned to her friends, two boys and girls, for support. They looked equally taken aback as they shook their hands in front of them, denying Amane her salvation.

"Also, three bottles of sake and a dozen beers." Jun continued. "That'll be 8350 Yen."

Amane and friends looked like they had been sentenced to death. A few moments of very awkward silence passed.

"W-wait a moment I'll just make a quick call." Amane ducked back inside the tent before pulling the zipper back up.

"What are you doing? It's rude to make someone wait like that." One of the boys reprimanded.

"I'm calling my sister, she's good at handling these kind of things."

Jun heard a few buttons being pressed and shortly after, a guitar riff sounded from her pocket followed by _**Thunder! Lalalala lalalaaa Thunder! Thunder! I was caught, in the middle of a railr-**_

Beep.

Jun accepted the call and pulled off her helmet.

"Yo Nee-chan what's up?" She answered loud enough that she could hear herself through her sister's phone. Then silence.

"Jun?" A silhouette inside the tent turned towards the entrance. Jun couldn't control herself anymore and burst out into laughter. Her sister emerged through the tent's door again. The scarf had come apart, revealing a slightly disgruntled Amane. Jun's laughter was just dying down when the scarf that was sliding down got caught on Amane's nose, sending the girl into another laughing fit.

"Oooow. My stomach."

"Jun. That wasn't very nice."

"You should've seen your faces. Whooo." She rubbed her tummy. "Ah, that was good."

That earned her only an accusatory glare from her big sister.

"Alright, alright." Her shoulders dropped slightly. "I'm sorry. The flippin' scooter just died on me and I needed a laugh."

The glare transformed into a pout. Jun rolled her eyes and sighed.

"I apologize, pranking you solely for my own amusement was wrong and not very nice." She deadpanned. "Where's the next police box? I wanna turn myself in."

Amane giggled. "Works every time."

"Amanecchi, you know her?" A girl from inside asked meekly.

"Yeah, she's my little sister."

Hesitantly, four heads peeked out from behind Amane.

"Jun, these are my friends: Hideo, Ayano, Sayaka and Tatsuya." she pointed to each as she said the names. As she did, they each uttered a hushed greeting.

"She may seem a bit scary but she's actually really nice when you get to know her." Amane tried to persuade her friends.

"Hey! what's that supposed to mean? You make it sound like I'm some kind of bully."

The four inside the tent recoiled a bit at her angry tone.

"Ah sorry, I-i wasn't. Goddammit Nee-chan."

Her sister snorted.

"You know what? Think I'll just leave." Turning around she walked back to the scooter. "Aw man what am I gonna do with all this food dad made?" Amane stiffened up at that. Jun opened the thermos box and took the bento out. "Seems I'll have to throw it away."

"J-jun-chan, wait!" She reached out a hand as if to grasp the lunchbox.

"Hmmm?" She turned around, a mischievous grin on her face.

"I was just joking. I didn't mean all that. Please, I'm starving." Amane plead.

"I don't know, would a bully return the lunch he had taken?"

Amane looked ready to burst into tears. "Luckily, I'm not a bully. Here." Jun handed her sister the lunchbox.

"You totally are a bully." Amane pouted. Soon after cracking open the bento though the pout vanished.

"Nee-chan. Before you start eating. Daisuke's coming back from Osaka. His mom's making a hotpot... what I'm saying is... wanna come with?"

Silence.

Amane looked up, a warm smile on her face. In contrast her eyes seemed to harbor a certain hollowness. One that Jun knew all too well. _Fuck,fuck,fuck,fuck,fuck not the eyes, not the goddamn fucking eyes_. She reeled back mentally, but managed to keep her composure. At least that's what she told herself.

"I can't leave my friends alone here. Sorry." she smiled sheepishly. "Give him a big hug from me though. Thank you for the food Jun, be careful on the way back."

With that Amane hurriedly pulled up the zipper and retreated behind the purple canvas. Jun drew in a sharp breath, reaching out towards her sister with her hand, but let it go once she noticed that her other hand had unconsciously found it's way to her scar. _Fuck._ Sighing again she put on her helmet and pushed the scooter down the way she came. After a few meters though she tried to turn it on again, though to no avail. She was just about to kick it again when someone called out to her.

"Yo dude, you need help with that?"

Jun turned around to see a young man walking towards her, a bandana holding up his red hair.

"That would be great, thanks." she pulled off her helm.

The man froze where he stood. After a few seconds he snapped his feet together, arms at his sides, and stood at attention, his eyes cast down at the damp asphalt. The girl raised a brow. Suddenly he bowed his head and extended his right arm.

"G-g-g-good evening! Tsuboi Ryoutaro, 22, single, looking for a girlfriend!"

Silence only reigned for a bit until it was ripped apart by Jun's loud laughter, causing a few heads to turn. The young man seemed disheartened at the outbreak but gasped in surprise when the girl gripped his hand firmly.

"Good evening." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Katsura Jun, 16, single and I've just found what I was looking for." she giggled.

"A-and what would that be?" He blushed furiously whilst scratching his cheek.

"Someone to cheer me up." She smiled brightly.

Ryoutaro's face flushed an even deeper red, making Jun slightly worried.

"A-a-anyway." He hastily withdrew his hand. "Let me look at your bike." He waddled over to the machine and crouched down. "So what's wrong with it?" Now in a more composed tone.

"Well." Jun crouched next to him. "When cold starting it's always bucking and randomly shuts down when driving. Thought it could be the choke nozzle so I changed it yesterday but that didn't do shit."

"Hmm. Good thinking. Could you try to turn it on?"

"Sure, just a moment." Jun sat on the bike, turned the ignition and kicked at the gear lever. A low growl and bubbling came from the machine but it stopped at that.

"OK. You can turn it off." The red-head rubbed the whiskers at his chin. "Most likely the fuel tank's dirty, that or the idle jet."

"Phew. I was afraid it was the carburetor or something. That could get pricey."

"Yeah, but I would check it asap. If you continue to drive it like that, it could really bust the carburetor. H-hey um..." Ryoutaro looked away. "You said you were single right?"

"Yup. But my heart belongs to the martial arts."

The man looked at her wide eyed before chuckling.

"Well, I guess I don't stand a chance against that."

"Your chances would be better if you didn't greet girls with 'Dude'." she poked him with her elbow.

"Hey, that's not my fault. You had a helmet on."

"So your saying my body doesn't look feminine enough to be recognized as a woman's."

Ryoutaro broke out in a flurry of apologies and excuses.

"It's okay It's okay. I was just teasing you." Jun managed through giggles, causing The man to blush again.

"A-anyway, I can help you get your bike running. I'll push you from behind. It should work then."

Jun got on the bike again and Ryoutaro positioned himself behind it, gripping the baggage rack that protruded from beneath the thermos box.

"Ready? Go!" He pushed hard and Jun turned the ignition. As they gained speed the bike sprang to life with a warning shot.

"Jun-chan!Will I see you again?" she turned to see Ryoutaro running next to her.

"If you order at our diner, then yes. Dude-kun." She smiled at him. "Oh. But not right now, my shift's over."

"Aw man." He smiled weakly and stopped running.

"Thanks Ryoutaro-kun!" She waved a hand as she drove off.

Panting, Ryoutaro stood and watched the girl until she rounded a corner and vanished from sight.

"Ryoutaro- _kun_. Huh?" He looked at his right hand and jumped, pumping his fist towards the sky. "Yossha!"

 **Ending note:  
Sooo. I hope you liked the first chapter. I know I know, SAO was only briefly mentioned. But I wanted you to get to know the character better. I think a big part of SAO is to see how characters change after being exposed to the idea of a deathgame. So having a greater understanding of how they are in real life makes the change even more apparent. Also, Klein cameo. Yay ! :D  
Next chapter will be the first part of Koharu's introduction.**


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